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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    At least the Regal and CLA are both fwd 4-doors. I think they aren't direct competitors because they are $7,000 apart on price and different sizes. It is like saying the Sonic competes with the Camry. To some degree every car competes for the consumer's dollar, and yes someone could compare Regal and CLA for which to buy, but they could compare an Envision and Regal more often than that, and I wouldn't say Regal and Envision are direct competitors. Interesting performance numbers I found, for Hockinghiem Short race track which has over 700 recorded lap times, so it is easy to compare cars. CLA45 AMG, Camaro SS (6th Gen), Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS5, M6 Gran Coupe, and Golf GTI Clubsport (Mark VII) all run a 1:14.0 seconds.
  2. smk4565
    The A-class sedan concept was 179 inches long, a C-class is 184 and E-class is 193-194, which I think this too big, no need to make it bigger but oh well. An A-class hatchback is 169 inches long. And since A sedan is smaller than CLA that is more gap to the C-class and fits the naming scheme more. I think the 4-door coupe thing is done to death by everyone. I am fine if they just did an A sedan.
  3. smk4565
    So first off, Mercedes doesn't compete with $20-25,000 cars, a base fwd CLA with no options is $32,700, so most are going to sell for like $35-40k. Secondly they made an AMG because they make AMG everything and it is a 0-60 in 4.1 sends car that is .94 g skidpad, those are good numbers. They didn't do that to compete with a Camaro, they did it for people you want a fast all wheel drive small sedan. Why do people buy a Subaru STi sedan, or a Civic R type instead of a V8 Mustang? Maybe those people want a sedan with all wheel drive because it snows where they live, maybe they want a hatchback to haul stuff, I don't know but they buy them. Also consider Mercedes sells the CLA45 and A45 in Europe where Camaro and Mustang sales are very low, and buyers there want a sedan or hatch, they want gas mileage, they want German build quality, etc. I am not impressed by the CLA interior either, the new A-sedan spy shots show some promise. The Regal I am sure is a roomier, more comfortable interior, but the CLA is a smaller, quicker car. Different missions. Much like Camaro and CLA are different, and I have no idea how the CLA is supposedly a direct competitor to the Regal and the Camaro, when I never heard anyone compare a Camaro and Regal.
  4. smk4565
    The Bolt doesn't sell well for a $40,000 car, and doesn't sell well for a small Chevy. The Model S sells really well for a $75-125,000 car. You have to look at Model S volume vs something like a CT6 or Audi A8. The Model 3 will sell very well for a $40,000 car. That is what has to happen for EVs to sell and gain traction, is to start to outsell gas rivals.
  5. smk4565
    The CLA is a front wheel drive/AWD sedan, the Camaro is a rear drive coupe. That is why they don't compete with each other. The Impala doesn't compete with the Honda Odyssey either despite being similar size and price. And a Golf R is like $36,000, vs $50,000 for a CLA45 which is a faster car with a better interior than a Golf. But you point out that AMG doesn't have enough performance, and the worst AMG car is very close the $48,000 Camaro SS, that still has a $21,000 car interior. And the CLA added 20 hp since Car and Driver last tested it, if that matters for anything. If you look at the top end AMG cars, they are quite capable. The GT R does the Nurburgring faster than the 1LE Camaro or the Corvette ZR-1 or the Corvette Z07, doesn't matter it beats them all. And the Camaro has a terrible interior, the Corvette has an average interior. This has been a long complaint of mine and why I have always said Cadillac needs a super car, and the Corvette should not go over $100k. What if a buyer wants a sports car with ever feature and luxury of CT6 or Escalade Platinum with a better interior than a CT6, with even more leather and suede and carbon fiber trim? GM makes you choose, Chevy has 600 hp fast Camaro and Corvette with bad interior, or 400 hp CT6 with luxury interior, but you can't have both. AMG gives you both.
  6. smk4565
    The CLA250 is rated at 24/37 mpg for 2018, it was once 38 mpg highway, I hadn't looked it up in a while. The CLA is also in no way a Camaro competitor, I just brought up the performance specs since Olds said Mustang and Challenger owners aren't afraid of a CLA. Also remember an A-class hatchback is about the same length as a Chevy Traxx, and the CLA is slightly smaller than a Cruze, so they can't put a V8 in there, and I don't see the Encore or Cruze with 375 hp. A Camaro or Mustang should absolutely have a V8, as long as we still use gas.
  7. smk4565
    B250e, Spark EV, Focus Electric or Energi whatever it is, Golf EV, Soul EV, BMW i3 are crap for the price they ask, even the Bolt is smaller than a Chevy Sonic with Cruze level amenities for $40,000. The Model S is the EV that is worth it and it sells. But one day there will be lots of EV's worth the money, and then they will take over. EV's do everything better than a gas engine except cost and range, and both of those are solved with better batteries.
  8. smk4565
    Big thumbs up on the Shelby Series 1 with the Aurora V8. And I would take any car with the AMG 4.0 liter V8.
  9. smk4565
    I think the EV will cost similar to a gas car but be a better car. Because the EV is going to be quieter, less maintenance, better acceleration, less pollution, cheaper to run, etc. It is already starting, the new Leaf has 50% more range then the Leaf of 5 years ago and costs less. Another generation and it will cost similar to an Altima another generation and it will cost similar to a Sentra and have 150 mile range.
  10. smk4565
    People once said the car wouldn't replace the horse either. A $60k EV S-class makes no sense, it costs $100k now. If they can do a $60k E-class EV then game one.
  11. smk4565
    All true, and 0-60 or even 1/4 mile are just a measure of power but when a Camry can run 0-60 in 5.8 seconds, a lot of cars is pretty quick in a straight line. The ride, handling and drivability are what separates the commuter cars to the performance ones. But the E43 overall has pretty similar performance numbers to the E63 of 10 years ago. So that was my original point there, it isn't really watered down. An E63 now has performance that could beat an SLS AMG of 5 years ago, which is nuts. So I think it is smart for AMG to have the 43 line, which is supposed to go to a 450 hp inline six hybrid soon (and maybe change to 53?) and then they'll even be faster. But even these 43's have more performance than a normal driver can use on normal roads. The swagger is coming back...
  12. smk4565
    I have never driven a CLA or Regal, I have sat in both, I think the CLA still has a slightly better interior mainly due to build quality and materials. The base CLA also gets 38 mpg which is really impressive. As far as the CLA45 goes, for $50,000 it does 0-60 in 4.1 seconds, and still gets 23/30 mpg, has all wheel drive and can go in the snow, and it makes 375 hp from a 2 liter 4-cylinder that is less than 1/3 the displacement of a Camaro V8. I pulled some other 0-60 times, the Camaro SS does it in 3.9 seconds, the Mustang GT does it in 4.4 and the Challenger R/T does 0-60 in 5.1 seconds, if you get the 6.4 liter Scat Pack it does 0-60 in 4.2 seconds and still loses to a CLA45. And the Camaro is the fuel economy champ of those V8s as 16/25 mpg. And the CLA45 is the worst AMG car, they have faster ones if you want sub 4-second 0-60 and Carbon ceramic brakes and air suspension with active curve control.
  13. smk4565
    The CLA still sells better than the Regal. The CLA was also based on the 2012 A-class, so at this point it is nearing the end of the life cycle, so sales should decline. Since we haven't seen the final product or price of the A-class sedan, hard to say what it is or how they'll price it. I do think it is redundant, the CLA and A-sedan will end up the same car with a different roof line. The spy photos of the A-class show a 12 inch screen on the dash similar to that of the S-class, so maybe they did fix all those interior issues. The C-class is a way better car than the CLA and worth the $10k premium. The A-class sedan is 5 inches shorter than the C-class, which is the same size of a 2003-2007 era C-class sedan.
  14. smk4565
    Here is the problem for Buick though, even if the Regal was a better car in every possible way than the CLA, cost $5,000 less, and offered 0% for 60 month financing, the CLA will still outsell it. Because one has a 3-point star on the front and the other doesn't.
  15. smk4565
    Every AMG is fast, and AMG does engine, transmission, suspension, aero, even body modifications. On an E43 there is less to be done obviously, but on a C63 for example the hood is 3 inches longer than a C300 to fit the V8. Even the E43 is faster than a 2007 E63, so it isn't like AMG is diluting anything. The current E63 accelerates faster than an SLS AMG. An AMG CLA45 or GLA45 can do 0-60 in 4.2 seconds, that is still really fast. So I don't think they are diluting anything when all these AMG's can perform.
  16. smk4565
    A 1971 280SE convertible in good condition can sell for over $300,000 now, I doubt any Eldorado are bringing that kind of money. Funny to compare the two interiors because the same kind of wood Mercedes used in the 70s and 80s in cars like these Is exactly the same gain and finish of wood that Cadillac used in the 90s in these:
  17. smk4565
    The A-class sedan could replace the CLA at $32k. They can go smaller for sure, the A-class hatchback is 169 inches long. I see no point in offering a CLA and A-class sedan, it is the same body style.
  18. smk4565
    I like Doug Demuro videos actually. And a 70s S-class convertible was better than the Eldorado.
  19. smk4565
    Competition also drives price. If batteries get cheaper, a Model S P100D could cost as much as a CTS-V, or a Model 3 could cost less than a 3-series with a gas engine. Then more and more companies will put EV's out there. I think it will happen in luxury segments first where performance and quite/NVH are more important. Once you have a bunch of EV's there will be competition among them in price. The thing is when the tide turns it will turn fast.
  20. smk4565
    They don't sell because most of them are crap. Battery tech is expected to make another breakthrough in about 5 years that could bring EV prices way down.
  21. smk4565
    Really they could do this now if they wanted, if they are just going to put th eMKZ hybrid powertrain into MKC, MKX and Continental. Hopefully they do more than that though. BMW just announced they are building 12 EV's by 2025, and Lincoln is considering 1 EV? I don't think Ford cares much about Lincoln.
  22. smk4565
    The CLA isn't a bad car, it just isn't as good as an E-class, and that is probably why people dump on it. The Malibu can't perform like a Corvette, doesn't mean the Malibu is crap. I still would like to see them dump the 4-door coupe, dump the CLA name and go with A-class, just like they go with C-class and E-class. And an A sedan would be roomier and more practical than the fake coupe CLA. And really the best looking A-class is the hatchback, bring that here if they want to appeal to millennials.
  23. smk4565
    The Aurora was mentioned earlier, which was like entry-lux, the thing the Aurora had going for it was full size, Cadillac derived V8, and it actually handled better than a STS or DTS of that time. But the Aurora was no 3-series or C230 competitor, it was Lexus ES competitor maybe, or Lincoln Continental of the day. I liked my Aurora, but it was a bit too big, I prefer a smaller car to that. I'd rather the CLA get killed off, and they do an A-class sedan (and maybe hatchback) for the US market. I think that is a stronger play and 4-door coupe is way over done anyway.
  24. smk4565
    The C230 hatch/coupe was a bad car, looked ugly, cheap interior.
  25. smk4565
    The front end is awful. This is one ugly BMW and BMW has been better a little better as of late in the styling department. If they put the V12 in this thing it will give it some juice. The inside looks like an Art Deco 5-series, doesn't look 7-series level. I have to see the production version of this and the 2019 GLS to really compare.
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